My Clonmel Scrapbook by James White

 "Why has this book exerted such an enduring nostalgic appeal over so many for almost a century? The 'Scrapbook' does not pretend to be a history of Clonmel—it conceded that ground earlier to Canon Burke's monumental 'History of Clonmel' (to which incidentally White was said to have also contributed substantially—Canon Burke was a close family friend and mentor). It has an ostensibly gentler remit, unfettered by chronology or the demands of historiography. Indeed it would seem to be a book of scraps, harmless and trivial, a personal recollection of local past events that interested the collector. It presents us with seductive cameos of the past, romances, historical sketches, stories, poetry and songs chosen chiefly, I imagine, to entertain." (Jim O’Connor)